KDSN RADIO News
It’s Workzone Awareness Week
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-O-T is one of several states participating in “National Work Zone Awareness Week” activities as construction work ramps up with warmer weather. D-O-T Work Zone Operations Engineer Brian Worrel says distracted driving can be a big issue. “That’s one of the key things that we keep telling folks is just to, you know, expect the unexpected at any time, but especially in work zones. And so limiting those distractions is really crucial for everybody’s safety, both the workers in the work zone and the folks driving through them,” he says. He says you should obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.
You’ll see the traditional orange cones and warning signs when work zones are coming up, and in some cases, the D-O-T has added speed indicators. “They are just a reminder to yourself as to how quickly you are going and just to compare that to the posted speed limits that are along work zones,” he says. Worrell says they have another new warning signal that you might see on state highways. “Orange stripes across the roadway, and those are actually temporary rumble strips that’ll be down for the season. So those give you both a physical and audible feedback saying, hey, something is coming up where you will have to have some sort of maneuver, whether that’s a crossover the median or just a slight lane shift, and those are just to get people’s heads up and paying attention,” he explains.
Worrell says you need to remember that an accident in a work zone can be fatal.”There’s people working. You might not be able to see them. They might not be there all the time, but they’re coming in and out of those work zones,” Worrell says. “Unfortunately, there are fatalities in our work zones every year. Last year we improved over the previous year, and we’re trying to keep that trend. ”
One worker died in a work zone accident last year on I-80 near Council Bluffs. Worrell says nationally, the vast majority of people killed in work zones are motorists or passengers. You can check the D-O-T 511ia.org to identify the work zones before you head out.
